Essay of a Vase

CONCEPT

Essay of a Vase

During this year I made a collection of high temperature ceramic vases in Manises (Valencia, Spain), taking as reference the flat volumes of Giorgio Morandi still lifes.

By visiting Manises, the scene was distressing. Not only most of the factories were gone and the few artisan studios remained in place were almost not producing objects besides low temperature lacquered ceramic, in most cases with glossy and industrial colors.

I found it so hard to work on schedule that I realized the difficulty of making today a ceramic series working with a local craftsman in Spain, just going back to the tradition of high temperature ceramic, as it did was not suitable to the current times of immediate and fast consumption. It reminded me of the book ‘Cooked’ by Michael Pollan, where the author narrates in the chapter dedicated to Air, the impossibility of creating bread made with sourdough starter as it was traditionally made for sale, due to the market requests a faster consumption.

That feeling of decadence, stopped time, led me to think on what is a vase in the West, what is the point, beyond consumption itself, to industrially produce more … a vase is, at the end of the day, a cultural symbol linked, in this case, to our history. What could be the shape that suits the best a contemporary vase? Could it be an object made by layers of history? How to represent them?

Resuming to the initial reference of Morandi and, therefore, of Italy, I visited again the north part of this country to observe these peeling walls that also tell us, in some way, the passage of time (the essential concern of every human being, that some of them hide through plastic surgeries, others supply through motherhood and the most part just do not think about it) and perhaps these walls are themselves a reflection of the decline of this old continent.

Finally I made the pieces in my studio and I cancelled the function of the vase itself, as a container (mostly of flowers, which also end up flagging as the stucco walls and Europe itself). Could be considered design pieces,… sculptures? For me there are a conclusion of a work process and the reflection of a moment.